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Accreditation Committee
Mission Statement:
To create metrics for the evaluation of training programs utilized by marine animal facilities, to insure they are equivalent or exceed standards set forth by IMATA's guidelines.
Committee General Description:
The Accreditation Committee is a standing committee, created to facilitate IMATA Board of Directors’ accreditation of “Facility Animal Trainer Development Programs” utilized by marine animal care and training organizations. The committee drafts procedural documents that support the inspection process and subsequent annual “self evaluation” reports. The Chair is responsible for directing the activity of this committee, which is typically composed of a relatively small number of long-time, professional members, often with previous experience as Board or committee members, or other relevant subject matter expertise.
Committee Requirements:
Members of this committee must be from the Professional, Active, Associate, or Student levels of membership and be in good standing.
At this time, members of this committee tasked with accreditation inspections, must have professional member status and must have relevant experience with either IMATA Facility Animal Trainer Development Program or Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) accreditation inspection processes.
Committee Chair Description:
The Accreditation Committee Chair is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Facility Animal Trainer Development Program Accreditation Committee. The committee’s primary responsibility is to investigate and facilitate the accreditation process under direction of the Board of Directors. This position works in cooperation with AMMPA Accreditation Commission chair to facilitate simultaneous inspections.
- The Accreditation Committee Chair is re-appointed annually by the current President with Board approval during the annual conference.
- The Accreditation Committee Chair is expected to attend the annual meeting and attendance is preferred at the mid-year meeting.
- The Accreditation Committee Chair will be expected to prepare a quarterly report as dictated by the President’s yearly calendar. Dates for these reports are usually Jan 31, Apr 30, Jul 31, & Oct 31. These reports will be submitted to the President and the Secretary using the form in the IMATA Policy Manual.
- IMATA compensates its Accreditation Committee Chair in the following ways: membership will be paid for each year served and conference registration fees are waived.
REQUIREMENTS
- Must be a professional member in good standing, and must have experience with accreditation processes in IMATA and/or AMMPA.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- The Accreditation Committee is responsible for following the board’s recommendations regarding the direction of the Facility Animal Trainer Development Program accreditation process and providing the board with information necessary to make decisions in these matters.
- The Accreditation Committee will facilitate the presentation of seminars for the continuing education of the training community. At the moment, this involves organizing seminars to be presented prior to or proceeding the annual conference.
- The Accreditation Committee Chair will be responsible for updating the job description when he or she leaves the position, or at a minimum of every two years. The job description should contain the following information:
- Position Title
- Revision Date
- Basic Job Description
- Responsibilities
- Annual Timeline/Flow Chart
| Committee Chair: | BILLY HURLEY Georgia Aquarium accreditation@imata.org |
| Committee Openings: | None at this time |
Committee Documents and Downloads:
Please CLICK HERE to download additional information and an application for IMATA Accreditation. Please note, however, that only facilities currently accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums are elligible.
Please CLICK HERE to download the Guidelines for Accreditation of Facility Animal Trainer Development Programs.
